Florida Cop Suspended For Social Media Post About David Hogg

A veteran police officer has been disciplined for a remark about David Hogg he made on social media.

Coconut Creek, FL – A veteran Coconut Creek police officer was suspended without pay on Tuesday, after he made a negative comment on social media regarding Parkland student David Hogg.

Hogg, 18, had organized several Friday “die-in” demonstrations at area Publix grocery stores, to protest the supermarket chain’s support for a gubernatorial candidate who has received contributions from the National Rifle Association, CBS News reported.

Hogg's fellow protesters laid down throughout the stores, forcing shoppers to step over their bodies in order to move about the businesses, according to USA Today.

Outside the Coral Springs Publix, Hogg and other demonstrators drew 17 outlines of human bodies in chalk, to represent those killed in the Parkland Stoneman Douglas High School massacre on Feb. 14.

Information related to the demonstration was posted on a Coral Springs/Parkland Facebook page, and included a photo of Hogg, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Coconut Creek K9 Officer Brian Valenti was one of many commenters who lashed out in response to news of the protest.

“Hope some old lady loses control of her car in that lot. Jus saying….” Officer Valenti wrote.

Officer Valenti, a 23-year veteran of the department, later deleted his comment, but not before Kim Simonson took a screenshot, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Simonson, who does not live in Florida, then sent the image to Coconut Police Chief Butch Arenal.

“Whether someone agrees with these students or not, it is in very poor taste for a police officer to make the following comment regarding students that have just been through a tragic shooting,” Simonson told Chief Arenal in an email.

She also urged the chief to fire or suspend the veteran officer.

In response, Chief Arenal told Simonson that he agreed that the comment was both “unprofessional and inappropriate.”

He said he contacted Officer Valenti immediately.

“The officer admitted that it was in poor taste, and indicated that it was meant as a joke, but certainly didn’t come off that way,” the chief’s email continued. “It is for that reason that he thought it better to remove the post. He will be offering an apology, as he has indicated that he wants to do whatever he has to do to make it right.”

Police union leader Rod Skirvin aid that Officer Valenti was “distraught” over the problems he had caused.

On Tuesday, Officer Valenti met with Chief Arenal, and said he regretted having made the post. He explained that he made the comment in jest, but that he had since realized that it was not a joking matter.

Officer Valenti said he also hoped to have the opportunity to apologize to Hogg in person.

“After careful consideration of the adverse impact Officer Valenti’s Facebook post may have had on any of the individuals involved, his deep regret for making the comment, and the damage inflicted upon the Coconut Creek Police Department’s reputation, I have decided to suspend Officer Valenti for a period of five days without pay,” Chief Arenal announced after the meeting.

Officer Valenti will also be required to complete sensitivity training, he said.

Hogg was aware of the officer’s comment and responded to it on Tuesday.

“Cops are meant to protect and serve communities, not spread hate and violence among them,” he said.

He also suggested that Officer Valenti should issue a video on Twitter, apologizing for his comment.

Hogg wants the country to run his way regardless of the right of people to support the candidate of their own choosing.

Hi_estComnDenomn

May 30, 2018

@bronx163
Hes not a millenial. The youngest Millennials are graduating college, not high school.

bronx163

May 30, 2018

Hes a snowflake crybaby millennial. Retard wasn’t even in school that day.
Also he’s being controled behind scenes by Fascist left and gun control dummycrats.

Hi_estComnDenomn

May 30, 2018

@bronx163
Everything else is your opinion, and you're entitled to it. But he's not a Millennial, that's a fact. Major markers of a millennial are remebering life before the Internet and being old enough to remember 9/11.

If he was born in 2000/2001 he doesn't remember life without Internet or 9/11. He's Gen Z.

I'm 34, so I'm a millenial. I was 17 when 9/11 happened, and i remember exactly what i was doing (sitting in Chemistry class). I also remember life without internet. I was 12 when i first logged on, so i remember many years before Internet was available to everyone.

BlueMoose

May 30, 2018

Ahh the perks of retirement. I remember that publicity stunt and I am pretty sure I posted something very negative about that little Twit,

BobIn704

May 30, 2018

You are supposed to say your account was hacked people!!!! Come on!

BobIn704

May 30, 2018

and for dumb bitch to do a screen shot and then research where to send the information to etc. That snowflake got nothing to do as well. A leftist of course!

Foundoutwest11

May 30, 2018

Question: when is it all right to stop a business or to disrupt your patrons from easy access to the products inside. I would think some kind of law was broken BIG TIME

CRETE GARY

May 30, 2018

Laws were broken.Not enforced.The chief saved the officers job by just suspending him and not firing him as HOGG wanted.

Actually the kids were laying down inside. There were only chalk outlines outside. If an "old lady loses control of her car in that lot" she wouldn't be running over any of the kids protesting. The post did not say that he hoped the old lady would run over anyone. When did his first amendment rights get taken away? Bad enough we have an anti-police mentality in our country. Now we are not allowing them free speech on their own time? What's next? Suspension for demonstrating? Suspension for belonging to the NRA? Slippery slope I think.

FSchloss

May 31, 2018

The dog turds in my dog run have more rights than a working police officer. This just serves to prove it.\

Actually, bronx163, you are mistaken. LEO are not free to post whatever they wish on social media. If they have identified themselves as LEO on their profile or elsewhere they can be held accountable by their department-as we see here. I personally believe that isn't proper, well, there ya go. Given the bad rap cops are getting these days, Department Admin types (Chiefs, etc) are pretty sensitive and I'm sure have provided guidance to their officers. While I don't wish these kids dead, I do wish they would hurry up and grow up.

They were trespassing but the store didn't have the spine of desire to evict them.

No. 26-50

informative6361

May 31, 2018

If you really work in a field where your comments are more closely scrutinized like police or journalism and NOT like a Walmart employee, then you want to go create a free email and make a new alternate facebook account which allows you to vent in this way without it being "easily" traced back to you.

You don't have to choose between being a good guy officer and having the right to voice a strongly felt opinion about the many a-holes out there like little Debbie Hogg.

A stupid move on the part of the police officer. Most younger officer's I know, either avoid social media altogether or make no mention of their job in their profile or in the pics that they post. They also keep their opinions to themselves. Nothing has really changed except cops have more visible ways of doing stupid shit. At least the chief isn't canning him.

So what if he is articulate. He doesn't know shit about guns yet he is the arbiter of truth on the matter if the media is to be believed.

pixiepup

May 31, 2018

It is ridiculous that Hogg and his protesters were not evicted from the store. So can I come into a Public store and protest by laying down and blocking customers since I don’t agree with Hogg?? This is so ridiculous!